In a generally known mechanism of the hybrid vehicle, power is transmitted between an internal combustion engine, a generator, and a motor that are interlinked via a planetary gear mechanism. For example, in the hybrid vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, in response to requirement for a start of the internal combustion engine in a motor drive mode with the motor driven with electric power discharged from a battery in the operation stop state of the internal combustion engine, the ignition timing of the internal combustion engine is delayed to reduce the output torque of the internal combustion engine. This control aims to reduce the occurrence of vibration of the vehicle body due to an abrupt increase in output of the internal combustion engine.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-11650